“I am the sweet fragrance in the earth. I am the heat in the fire, the life in all living beings, and the austerity in the ascetics.”
(Bhagavad Gita)

I met this man at the flower market which is in the chawk of Varanasi (Benaras).
It was one of the hotest day of the year, those kind of days when it becomes painful to stay outside.
I had to go to this part of the city for some work and on the way I enjoyed to stop there where there is an amazing atmosphere, where I can almost forget the heat.
In this courtyard there was a compelling fragrance made of all the flowers scents moisterizing the atmosphere.
This man came nearby, he was carrying many roses in that pink fabric on his head and he was sweating.
The roses fragrance was sweet, deep and heavy, it remained there for a while after he was gone.

2 Responses to “The Sweet Fragrance”

okay, the last time I tried to comment here it went all haywire so will try again…
short version…
I like the way you focused the photo on the man’s face rather than the flowers. Instead you focused your writing on the flowers. What a great combination. I can smell the fragrant roses even without seeing them..perhaps moreso because there is no supplied image.

^^ Good comment–I have to agree with the observation, although it hadn’t occurred to me at first. I knew I liked the photo and went on to read the commentary expecting an explanation of the man’s “turban”. Instead it was a story of roses and sweet smells. Laurent G., your images make India seem like the most magical place on earth.